Using the CD-RW drives on the iMacs's

An InfoHelp How To...? Guide

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Compact Discs give you more space for your money than any other portable storage media available. They can store an amazing 650Mb of data - that's equivalent to more than 6 ZIP disks or 450 floppy disks.

Writable compact discs come in two varieties: CD-R (recordable, but not rewritable) and CD-RW (re-writable). Even thought they cost more, CD-RW is usually the best long-term value.

CD drives also come in two varieties: CD-ROM (read only) and CD-RW (read and write).

What's the difference between CD-RW and CD-ROM drives?

So now I'm confused, what's a CD-ROM, CD-R and a CD-RW?

Looking after CD's

What kind of disks can I create?

How to prepare a CD

How to burn to CD

How to rewrite to a CD-RW disc

What's the difference between CD-RW and CD-ROM drives?

CD-RW drives (Compact Disc ReWritable drives) allow you to make your own CD's by saving (writing) files to them. They also allow you to read files on a CD.

CD-ROM drives (Compact Disc Read Only Memory drives) allow you to open (read) files. They do not allow you to save (write or burn) to a CD. Most home computers come with a CD-ROM drive as standard.

The new GatLab iMac's come equipped with CD-RW drives. This means that you can save documents, websites and programs onto a CD-R or CD-RW disc. You can take the CD home and read the files on (and copy the files to your hard drive) if you have computer with a CD-ROM drive, but not save to the CD.

If you take the files home and you want to change files on the CD itself, you will need a CD-RW drive on your computer. If you do not have a CD-RW drive installed, don't rush out and buy one. Unless you frequently work with very large files you can stick with floppy disks and/or your Homes drive.

So now I'm confused, what's a CD-ROM, CD-R and a CD-RW?

• A CD-ROM is a CD that is read only, and can't be saved to.

• A CD-R is a recordable CD. The physical space on a CD-R can only be used once. On an GATLab iMac, the current software allows you to burn to a CD-R disc once only. You cannot add more files at a later time as you can with the GATLab Dell PC's.

• A CD-RW is a re-writable CD that can be saved to using a CD-RW drive. The information can be erased and the CD can have new information written to it - much like a floppy, zip or hard disk. CD-RW discs are more expensive than CD-R discs but cheaper in the long run.

Looking after CD's

Treat your CD with care. Keep it in a "jewel" case or CD caddy to prevent it getting dusty or scratched - otherwise you may lose valuable information.

• Handle the CD by its edges or by the centre hole.
• Blow dust off your CD's before inserting into the drive (dust can damage the drive, which can affect the way your CD is read and written).
• Clean grease and dust off with a lens cloth (like those for wiping glasses or sunnies) or a CD cleaner.
• Label your CD using a felt-tip pen with water-based permanent ink.
• The safest area to write on a CD is round the centre hole
• Never use a pencil or a ball point pen.
• Never use a solvent-based ink.
• Be careful with sticky labels - they can become unstuck.

What kind of disks can I create?

You can create:

• Data disks to save files (like word documents, MP3 files etc.), programs and websites
• Audio disks for saving music tracks - please do not copy from Copyright sites.
• Backup disks.

How to prepare a CD

Before you can burn information to a CD-R or CD-RW disc you must prepare it.

Insert a blank CD-R or CD-RW disc into the CD-RW drive. A dialogue box will appear (be patient, it may take a little while).

Type in a name for the CD - your computer account code is a good name, so that your CD can be identified if lost.

Leave the Format option set to standard. This will create a CD that can be read on both Apple Macintosh computers as well as IBM compatible computers.

Press the Prepare button. This will create an empty CD image on the iMac desktop.

Drag and drop ALL the files you want to copy to CD onto this disk image.

• You can also save directly into this disk image from applications like Word and Excel.

The next step is to burn these files to the CD.

How to Burn to CD

Once satisfied that you have all the required files copied to the disk image, you can start the burning process.

• Click once on the CD-R or CD-RW icon.
• Select Burn... from the Special menu.

• Next select Burn from the confirmation dialog box.

This will start the CD burning process. This process can take up to 25 minutes depending on the amount of data to be burned onto the CD, so be patient.

When this process is complete, the CD will eject.

You can read this CD in any Macintosh or IBM compatible computer.

Beware: The current version of the CD burning software for iMacs can only burn a single session to a CD. This means that you cannot add more files to the CD or change any of it’s data (unlike the PC's). This should be fixed when the next version is released.

NOTE: It is possible to rewrite data to a CD-RW disc, BUT NOT a CD-R.

If you need to change any of the data or files stored onto a CD-R, you must copy the required files somewhere else, like the Temp Storage folder that is under the Macintosh HD icon on the desktop.

You can now work on the copied file there and save changes. If you want to save the changed file to CD-R, you will need to use a NEW CD-R disc.

Note: The Temp Storage folder is cleared every time the user logs out so the files must be burnt before logging out. If at any stage you decide not to burn a CD, just drag the CD Disk Image into the Trash and then select Discard. This will eject the CD leaving it untouched. You can inser it and use it again later.

How to re-write to a CD-RW

A CD-RW disc is prepared in the same was as a CD-R disc. The added bonus of a CD-RW is that it can be rewritten to on the iMacs with the current software.

To rewrite to a CD-RW disc, you need to erase it's contents first.

• Copy ALL the files you want to keep from the CD-RW disc to the Temp Storage Folder. Any files you do not copy will be lost when you rewrite.
• Copy any additional or changed files to the Temp Storage folder as well.
• Next highlight the CD-RW icon on the desktop by clicking the icon once with the mouse button.
• Select Erase Disk from the Special menu.
• Select Erase from the confirmation dialog box.
• The CD-RW disc will be erased completely, it can take up to 20 minutes.
• Next give the CD a name and click the Prepare button.

The CD is ready to have files burned to it. Just follow the instructions above.